Time
by HanyouKag
Summary: Just a random story about the adventures of the gang. Some romance and adventure Inu/Kag and Mir/Sang pairings. Sorry, I'm bad at summaries!
1. Darkness

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. :(**

"Sit boy." There was an eerie calm in her voice as she placed her fists on her hips and uttered the two words that he dreaded more than anything. She turned on her heel and stomped off into the forest of Inuyasha as the half-demon that the forest was named after laid face-first in the dirt. He grumbled under his breath, angrily cursing the teenage girl with the terrible temper.

"The nerve of that guy! Who does he think he is?" Kagome was stomping around in circles in the middle of her favorite clearing. The scent of cherry blossoms and the light, warm breeze helped to calm her down as she continued to mumble about the half-demon that seemed to be making her more and more angry in the past few days. _What is his deal? Calling me a jewel detector again! I thought we were over this stage a year ago. _

Kagome stopped when she remembered that tomorrow was their two year anniversary. She blushed when the word anniversary jumped into her head. _Calm down girl, it's not like you two are dating or anything. _She nodded her head and decided to stop circling. Sitting down in the cool green grass, she tilted her head into the sun and felt its warmth upon her skin. She waited for Inuyasha to come for her; he always did.

Inuyasha was cursing even louder after the spell of the beads finally wore off. He stomped back and forth at the edge of Kaede's village. _That damn girl! Why did she run off home? _His mind argued with whether or not to follow her and conflicting feelings grew in his heart. He knew he loved her, but she could be so annoying! Always complaining and yelling at him for no reason!

He stopped abruptly when it finally hit him. All her weaknesses, every single little flaw, were the reasons he loved her so much. A small smile grew on his face and he inhaled deeply. His nose caught her sweet scent. He followed it to the well that connected their worlds. He smiled when we remembered all the times that they climbed out of that well together. He remembered when he had chosen Kikyo a while back and when he went to tell her goodbye, the sunlight blinded him and then there she sat; she glowed in the bright light and desperately tried to keep the tears from falling, but he could smell them. For the first time, he realized that he was grateful that he never went to hell with Kikyo. Taking one last look around, Inuyasha jumped into the well.

The sun began to set on the clearing and Inuyasha still hadn't shown. Standing up and stretching her arms above her head, Kagome realized she would have to be the adult, AGAIN. Sighing to herself, she wrapped her skinny arms around her tiny body and shivered in the cold that the disappearing sun brought. A noise in the bush startled her and suddenly her feelings went from mild irritation to complete fear. She had forgotten where she was; she had forgotten how dangerous it could be to be alone outside.

"Inuyasha?" she questioned in a tiny voice. "Is that you?" She timidly, but bravely, took a step forward. The sound got louder but she stood her ground. If it was a demon or something that wished to cause her harm, she knew that she didn't stand a chance running away. Even though she got mad at Inuyasha for saying it, she knew that she really was clumsy.

She let out a sigh of relief as the familiar red haori emerged from the bushes. She smiled and took the few remaining steps up to the half demon. He smiled in return.

"Hey, Kagome! Sorry it took so long for me to get to you," he said in a cheery voice. Kagome stopped in mid step. Something didn't seem right about him. She shrugged it off as him finally growing up. She smiled broadly and moved to his side.

As soon as she stepped past him, she found herself wrapped up in his arms. Her heart began to beat faster and a light blush grew on her face.

"Inuyasha? W-what are you doing?" She tried to get a look at his face, but he was looking down and the setting sun helped to hide his eyes in shadow. His only response was to hug her closer. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around his strong body and hugged him back. She let down her confusion and embarrassment and happiness flooded her. _Finally. He finally sees. _Dizziness began to wrap around her, but with everything that was happening, she ignored it and pushed it to the back of her mind.

SLAP! The sound echoed through the small hut that belonged to the elder priestess Kaede. The older woman shook her head and gathered the small fox demon child with her as she made her way out the door.

"Come along, Shippo. Ye can help me gather fresh herbs." The fox child didn't object and allowed him to be carried out the door, smiling the whole way at Miroku's idiocy. He shook his small head slowly and marveled at how childlike his adult friends were sometimes.

Miroku smiled timidly and gingerly rubbed the red hand print on his face. _That was way worth it._Sango was frowning intently in an opposite corner. She had backed herself there in order to avoid the monk's wondering hand.

"Come, come, Sango. You know I didn't mean it." The monk took a step towards the demon slayer that he had come to love. He knew she loved him as well and they were going to get married some day. He didn't see what the big problem was with touching her butt. She was his now wasn't she?

Sango had other ideas about how to express love. _How can he do that to me all the time? It makes me feel like one of the women that his perverted self still goes to._ Her frown deepened at the last thought. She smashed her large boomerang down in order to stop his advance.

"I've had enough, Miroku, you letch." She stormed out of the hut and headed to the forest of Inuyasha, leaving a very depressed Miroku in her stead. He sighed and settled down onto the floor. He sat cross-legged and stared into the fire.

"Women," he muttered, leaning against his staff.

Sango released her anger on an innocent stream of water. She swung her boomerang hard at the water, over and over again. Once her anger, and her clothing, was quenched, she threw herself onto the ground. The sound of crunching grass made her raise her guard. She grabbed her Haraikotsu and prepared to smack whoever was sneaking up on her. Familiar purple and black robes emerged from the forest and she let down her guard. Miroku had never chased after her before.

"Sango, my dearest. I'm ever so sorry for upsetting you." Sango was suspicious as he sat next to her and she prepared her slapping hand, but nothing happened. Miroku just sat there in silence, seemingly just enjoying her presence. It was nice. Sango let go of her anger and leaned against the man she knew she wanted to be with forever. He wrapped an arm around her and she felt her eyes closing in contentment. A light breeze wafted by and she realized that she was becoming quite dizzy.

"Miroku?" She only got out the monk's name before the dizziness completely enveloped her and she fell into the darkness.

Inuyasha saw the familiar blue light envelope him, followed by the feeling of weightlessness as he was carried across time. When the light faded, he looked up and saw a wooden ceiling instead of the blue sky. He smiled at making it to her world once again and he swiftly jumped out of the well and into the musty well house. Confusing immediately set upon his face. Kagome's smell was there, yes, but it was old. He made his way to her house anyways.

He slid open the door made of glass and stepped gingerly into the house. Something had his nerves on end. It wasn't right that Kagome's scent would just disappear like that. Kagome's mother rounded the corner. She had heard the door close and wondered who was there in the middle of the day.

"Oh, Inuyasha. How lovely to see you!" A nice smile appeared on her face. Kagome's mother was always nice and he could easily see where Kagome got her good, pure heart from. "Where is Kagome?"

Inuyasha's confusion was full circle now. He looked at Kagome's mother. For a moment she looked worried. It was in that moment that he realized Kagome never came back. She wouldn't have come home and not gone into her house or told her mother she was back.

"I thought she was here. I guess I was mistaken." Not wanted to discuss it any farther, Inuyasha opened the door he entered through and ran as fast as he could to the well. This time, a frown was set deep into his face. _What is going on? Where is Kagome?_ He couldn't help but feel a bit worried when he realized he had no idea where she was.

After the blue and weightlessness faded, Inuyasha immediately sprung out of the well and looked around frantically. He let out the breath he was holding when he saw her sitting daintily on a log a ways across the clearing. He replaced the worry he once felt with anger. He stomped up to where she was sitting. Before he reached her, she stood and faced him. Without a word, she threw herself into his arms.

"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry! I was wrong. Can you forgive me?" Inuyasha was stunned by her words. Kagome was nice and all, but she was even more stubborn than he was. She would never apologize or admit she was wrong when he was clearly the one to blame. He blushed when he felt her arms slink around his waist and hold him tightly.

"Kagome…" he began. He decided not to ruin the moment and held her back instead. He rested his head on top of hers and inhaled the sweet smell of her hair. It seemed different somehow. Her whole scent was off. Before he could ask her about it, his world started to spin. He let go of Kagome and fell to one knee before losing consciousness completely.

The beaded curtain of the hut fell back into place with a loud clatter. Miroku looked away from the fire he had been staring into. Sango had entered the hut. He was shocked that she had cooled off so quickly. Usually it would take an hour or more and she wouldn't come back to him first. She would have gone off to Kagome and they would have entered together. Right as he had the thought, Kagome trailed in too.

"Hello ladies," he said in a mild tone. His eyes roamed each of their bodies. He knew he should only have eyes for Sango, but he couldn't help himself. His heart only went to her, and he knew that in the end, that was all that mattered. Sango smiled broadly and sat close to him on one side and Kagome did the same on his other side. He was immediately nervous and suspicious of the two women.

"W-what's going on?" Neither of them said a word; they just kept smiling up at him. He laughed nervously and made an attempt to stand up and move away from them. They were obviously up to something. Sango grabbed his robes and forced him back down.

"Where are you going Miroku? We wanted to ask you something." Sango smiled sweetly at him. He leaned away from her and found himself facing Kagome instead.

"Yeah, Miroku. Something very important." She leaned more into him and blinked her eyelashes at him. He gulped. He hadn't been this afraid in a long time.

"Miroku?" Both girls chimed his name at the same time. He looked back and forth between them as sweat rolling down his back. Sango entangled her fingers in the front of his robe and moved her face close to his.

"Miroku, will you let us bear your children?" Sango had a genuine look on her face. She wasn't kidding. Miroku stopped fretting and smiled widely.

"At the same time?" Kagome continued Sango's sentence and she was also in front of him with her hands tangled in his robes. They both continued to climb on him until he found himself laying flat on the ground. Sango was beginning to untie his robe as Kagome was untying the red tie that she wore with her uniform. Miroku just continued to smile. _I must have died and went to heaven. _He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Sango removing his clothes. Before he knew it, the world had faded and he had lost consciousness.

Evil laughter echoed throughout the forest as a man in a baboon suit jumped from branch to branch until he had disappeared into the depths of the forest…


	2. Tricked!

Kagome woke up in the middle of the forest. She recognized the feel of the aura around her and knew she was still in The Forest of Inuyasha. Her mind was muddled and she sat up slowly, pressing a hand gently to her forehead. Everything spun for a few more minutes before the world returned to normal. Kagome gritted her teeth as the memory of what had happened rushed back to her. She had been hugging Inuyasha…No, he had been hugging her!

A light blush inched across her face when she remembered their closeness. She felt silly and giddy and completely forgot that she didn't remember how she had come to be in the middle of nowhere. A heavy breeze carrying the promise of rain hit her and she snapped out of her memories and imaginations. She shivered in the sudden shadow that the clouds cast and she let out a slight shriek as thunder peeled across the sky. The first raindrops began to fall and landed gingerly upon her face and hair.

She tried without success to cover her head with her arms and decided on running instead. It occurred to her that she had no idea what direction in which to run, but she ran anyways. It was then that she thought about how she came to arrive in the middle of the forest. _I…I don't remember anything. Last thing I knew I was hugging Inuyasha and then I got dizzy. _

Kagome reached a clearing and leaned against a tree. The rain had soaked through her clothing and left her shivering as even more began pouring down. The wind picked up and cut through her clothing. Wrapping her skinny arms around herself, the young priestess looked up into the sky.

A broad smile lit upon her face when she saw the Sacred Tree towering over the rest of the forest. _I know where I am! The Sacred Tree!_

Smiling the entire way, Kagome ran towards the tree that gave her everything she even needed. _It gave me Inuyasha. That's all I'll ever need. _Kagome allowed her thoughts to drift to the loveable half demon and her puzzlement at his soft words grew. It didn't sound like him or seem like him at all. She shook it off again as him finally growing up. _He may still love Kikyo, but at least he is finally starting to see me as a friend._

The young teenager pushed a bush out of the way and stepped into the small clearing that surrounded the ancient tree. A small gasp escaped her lips when she saw the sight before her.

"Inu…Inuyasha?" Kagome took a few ginger steps towards the tree. There was Inuyasha. He was just the way she had first seen him. An arrow was pierced through his chest and vines were wound around him tightly. He looked like he was sleeping, but she knew better. What happened? Kagome's mind instantly traveled to Kikyo. She was the only person who could do this to Inuyasha aside from herself and she knew she didn't do this. Tears welled in her eyes as she climbed the vines carefully.

A pulse of energy released from Inuyasha and threw Kagome to the ground. She roughly landed in the dirt and cried out in pain. Unclenching her eyes, Kagome looked up in shock. Inuyasha's eyes were open and he was glaring down at her. His eyes…they weren't the same that she was used to. Her mind recalled the first time she saw him and the first few months they spent together. His eyes then looked like they did now. They were cold and free of any emotion except hate. They weren't the soft pools of amber that she was used to.

"Well, well, well. Kikyo." Inuyasha's voice was as cold as his eyes as he glared down at the young priestess. Kagome's mouth fell open as he uttered the very first name he called her. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly scared.

"Inuyasha…what's going on? Don't you remember me? It's me, Kagome. We're…well, we're friends." Kagome clasped her hands together in front of her and looked up at the half demon with pleading eyes. He didn't budge an inch.

"Feh. I'd never be friends with the likes of you." He looked off to the side and ignored the frail girl on the ground before him. The rain continued to pour down. Both young adults were soaked and Kagome was shivering. She gathered some courage and climbed up the roots. Once she was face to face with Inuyasha, she placed a hand under his chin and forced him to look at her.

"You're telling me that you don't remember the past two years?" the remembrance that it was two years to the day made Kagome's heart drop. _What's going on? Why doesn't Inuyasha remember me?_

Inuyasha growled and snapped his head around until she removed her hand. He glared at her more intensely than before.

"What are you trying to pull here, Kikyo?" Inuyasha struggled valiantly against the arrow that pinned him to the tree. It was no use. The power kept him pinned there. Kagome was getting angry and frustrated.

"My name's not Kikyo! It's Kagome. Ka-Go-Me!" She spat her name in his face. Inuyasha smirked at her.

"I'm telling you, you've gotta be her! Cause if you're not her, there's no way you could smell so…You're not her. " He looked shocked and embarrassed when he realized, finally, that she wasn't Kikyo. Kagome's heart felt like it was breaking. _He doesn't remember me. But he remembers Kikyo…What's going on? I_

It was just like the first time they met all over again. Kagome tried to carefully climb down the roots but slipped onto the muddy ground. She let out another cry of pain and as she stood up and rubbed her sore bottom, she noticed Inuyasha was laughing at her.

"What's so funny?" she yelled at him.

"You are, you klutz," he retorted. He continued to just stare at her in confusion and she sensed the hatred behind the stare. Kagome ignored him and sat on one of the larger roots of the Sacred Tree. She put her chin in her hand and tried to think through what was happening. She almost expected arrows to fly at her for disturbing the terrible half demon or a centipede demon.

"Hey." Inuyasha's voice cut through her thoughts. "You have the sacred jewel, don't you?" Kagome placed a hand gingerly on top of the bottle that was around her neck. It contained three jewel shards that the group managed to collect and hang on to. She didn't answer. A dark aura made her senses tingle and she whipped around.

Before she could see anything, a huge gust of wind knocked her across the clearing. She was sprawled on the ground. Shakily lifting herself to her feet, Kagome gasped at what she saw now. The arrow that had once pinned the cold-hearted Inuyasha to the tree had vanished. Inuyasha's evil laughter filled the air as he flexed his claws.

"Well, Ka-Go-Me, it's about time you handed over the jewel. That is, if you value your life." A wicked smile grew on his face and Kagome let out a shocked gasp.

"Inuyasha…" she mumbled sadly. He approached her slowly, deliberately showing his claws the entire way.

"Look girl, I don't know who you are or why you look so much like Kikyo, but unless you want your guts spilled on the forest floor, you better hand over the jewel!" He held his hand out, but Kagome just looked at it. "Fine, we'll do it your way."

Kagome didn't know what propelled her to run, but she had never run so fast. Something wasn't right. Inuyasha wasn't just kidding around. He was really going to kill her over the jewel shards. And he didn't even seem to remember that the jewel was broken! The confused girl tripped over a root and felt the gust of Inuyasha's claws swinging over her head.

"You…you really are trying to kill me, aren't you?" Inuyasha spun around and stared her down. He didn't say a word as he headed at her again. Kagome feared for her life, but she knew she could never out run or out power Inuyasha.

"SIT!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The angry half demon just stopped in confusion. Nothing happened. _Why didn't anything happen?_ Kagome was beyond scared now. She was terrified! Her eyes travelled to Inuyasha's neck. The beads weren't there! Now, the dog demon looked completely pissed.

"What did you say? Do you think I'm some sort of pet or something? It's time to die, wench!" He lunged for her again, and this time, she barely avoided his claws. They grazed her shoulder and she cried out in pain as she landed on the forest floor once more. She grabbed her right arm with her left hand and didn't notice the small stream of blood that ran down. Inuyasha licked his claws.

"Even your blood smells like hers." He grimaced and readied his attack once more. Kagome backed herself against a tree and prepared for her death.

"I just want you to know that I love you and always will," she whispered silently to the forest as tears spilled out of her eyes.

Inuyasha woke with a start. He flung himself up onto his feet; his hand was instantly grasping the hilt of his sword. He could feel and hear his heart beating super fast. _Where am I? _He took a few steps across the dirt road he was on before encountering a rickety bridge. There was a deep mist all around him.

"Fucking mist. I can never see or smell anything!" Once he reached the bridge and crossed to the other side, he realized where he was. _I'm at the bridge that leads to Kaede's village. _He relaxed himself and started to run towards the place that he considered his home. But he would never tell them that. His mind scrambled to remember what had happened before he had suddenly awoken in the middle of the path.

_I remember Kagome actually apologizing. That was weird. Then she hugged me._ His heart fluttered at the remembrance of Kagome wrapping her small arms around him. He shook his head to clear the thoughts. _No, it's not like that. We're just friends and nothing more. She would never love a half demon like me._ _I got so dizzy though. Was it all a trap?_

Once he reached the edge of the bridge, he saw the silhouette of a female walking towards him gracefully. Again his heart started beating when he saw the familiar and peculiar outfit of Kagome. He pushed his thoughts of a trap aside and ran towards her. He promised himself that he wouldn't get in a fight with her this time. He wanted to be nice, but his past always spoke before his heart could.

"Kagome!" His joyful voice made the young priestess stop in her tracks. He saw her remove something from her back. She was holding something and he thought he saw a glint of metal around the middle. His instincts pulled him to the side as an arrow flew past him. His heart caught in his throat and anger bubbled its way to the top of his emotions.

"What was that for? Kagome, you almost killed me!" She dropped her bow and the remainder of arrows and completed the distance between them. He was about to yell at her again and demand what was going on when she wrapped her arms around him again. _What the hell is going on?_ He couldn't resist holding her in return. He almost expected the dizziness to return, but he was met with a sharp pain instead.

He let out a short scream of pain as he pulled back from the girl. _What the hell? _He pulled the dagger she had stabbed into his shoulder out. Something wasn't right here. This wasn't normal Kagome. _Is she possessed again? _She stared him down and then smiled a wicked smile that he had never before seen on her face.

"Ka-Kagome?" He tried to approach her, but she instantly produced two swords and began swinging them at him. He backed up a few steps onto the bridge. She flew up into the air and threw poison darts at him. Raising his arms in his fire rob, he protected himself from the darts. The bridge was not so lucky. He heard the ropes and woods coming undone and he fell slowly with the bridge while Kagome remained floating on nothing. His memory dragged him back to when Menomaru had taken over Kagome's body and attacked him this very way.

"Die, Inuyasha," Kagome said. Only it didn't sound like her. Her voice was laced with hatred: something that you would never find in her eyes, spirit, or heart. More venomous daggers flew towards him, knocking him downwards into the stream. He threw himself onto the rock among the shore and began running from Kagome into the forest. _Maybe the tranquility of the Sacred Tree will help clear her mind. Or, the same thing that happened last time will happen again. _

Kagome flew gracefully behind him, attacking the entire way. _Damn it, she's fast!_

"Kagome! Snap out of it! You know you don't want to hurt me!" He looked into her eyes as he said those words. Nothing registered. This wasn't like last time. When he tried to make her see it was him last time, she mumbled his name and told him to run from her. This time: nothing. She didn't budge; she just kept smiling that evil smile that made his blood run cold.

Instead of continuing to run, Inuyasha propelled towards the young girl and grabbed both of her wrists in his hands. He held her tightly away from him.

"Kagome, I'm not going to let go of you until you snap out of this!" The person he held squirmed against his grasp but made no move to do anything else. A sharp burst of wind broke up the mist and threw him from the girl. He landed sharply on his back. His eyes settled upon the figure of the Sacred Tree sticking out above the forest. For a brief moment, his nose caught a scent he never wanted to smell: Kagome's blood.

His amber eyes instantly gazed at the Kagome in front of him. There was no blood there. Another gust of wind hit him, and he smelled it again. It was coming from the direction of the tree! He ignored the Kagome that he now knew was fake and ran faster than he had ever run towards the sickening smell of iron; he also ignored the tiny feather that was disappearing into the sky.

Inuyasha burst through the trees onto a scene he would have never imagined seeing. He saw himself standing over a broken form of Kagome. She was slashed up, her blood pouring unchecked onto the forest floor. It dyed the green plants red. She didn't make a move to fight back, even though her bow and arrow were an arm's length away. _What the hell is going on here? _Inuyasha immediately shoved the impersonator away from Kagome.

"Who the hell are you?" he questioned in a dangerous voice. He glared at an exact mirror of himself. He noticed that the Inuyasha he was staring at didn't have a sword or the beads. _Kagome never stood a chance. It was a trap!_ The non-Inuyasha didn't say a word. He launched himself immediately at the two. _I don't have time for this!_ Inuyasha pulled out his Tetsusaiga and ended the fake's life with one slash. In place of a bleeding body was a small human shaped piece of paper. It was cut in half. Both halves floated to the ground before disappearing in tiny clouds of smoke. _Puppet._

"Kagome!" Inuyasha turned around to find the bleeding Kagome pulling an arrow on him. He took a few steps back and raised his hands in defense. "It's me Kagome! That other guy was a puppet! I'm not going to harm you. I could never harm you!" Kagome didn't respond, but instead, released her arrow. Inuyasha clenched his eyes tight and waited for the pain that was sure to follow. Nothing came.

He opened his eyes once more and checked himself for damage. There was nothing. Looking back at Kagome, he saw that her eyes were looking behind him, not at him. Turning around, he saw her purification arrow sticking directly out of the chest of the fake Kagome. She also turned into two halves of paper that disappeared in twin clouds of smoke.

Exhausted, Kagome dropped her bow and let her arms fall to her sides. She was almost numb to the pain; she was definitely numb to the horrible names and insinuations that the fake Inuyasha was throwing at her. She should have known he was a puppet, but nothing in the word would make her take that chance. _What if it had been the real Inuyasha? I could never live with myself._

Inuyasha didn't say a word as he pulled Kagome into his arms and began running at full speed towards the small village nearby. _Hang on Kagome. I'll get you help! I couldn't live if you died on me now!_ His mind screamed such tender thoughts, but his voice spoke other words.

"Don't you die on me Kagome, you stupid girl!" If he would have looked down, he would have noticed the small smile that grew on Kagome's face as she slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Awakening

Inuyasha had never run so fast in his entire life. The forest whipped past him in a blur of greens and browns as he swiftly made his way towards Kaede's hut. He was screaming inside the whole way, screaming for Kagome to hold on and to not die on him. Tree branches cut his face and feet as he concentrated all his efforts on speed and not evasion. He didn't care. His sole focus was Kagome. He trained his ears on her unsteady breathing and her faded heartbeat. His nose crinkled at the iron scent of her blood that was now soaking into his haori. For a brief moment, he thought about how that scent would never fully come out, but he shook his head and immediately refocused on the task at hand.

The sunlight hit his face in an explosion of light as he cleared the forest. It was late afternoon and the fields were emptying of the day's workers. No one paid him any mind as he slowed his pace to brisk walk to cover the small remaining distance to the small hut on the outskirts of the town. A slight breeze blew the half demon's silver hair in front of him where it mixed in an intricate dance with the priestess's own black strands. He gently moved both of their hair from her pale face as he continued his frantic trek.

The moment he reached the road, Shippo was upon them. He had been collecting flowers in the afternoon sun and awaiting his friends' return. The giddy smile that was on his face originally at the sight of Inuyasha and Kagome was erased quickly when he smelt the blood and saw the paleness of Kagome's face.

"Kagome!" he screamed in a shrill tone. "What happened? Is she going to be ok?" Shippo threw similar questions at Inuyasha the entire way to the small hut that belonged to the elder priestess. Inuyasha's mouth didn't move; every single question went unanswered. He roughly pushed the straw door to the side as he stepped into the warm hut. Kaede was instantly on her feet.

Her wrinkled face showed a brief moment of shock, but it was gone before too long and replaced with the indifference that she had learned many patients ago. She immediately pulled out a futon for Inuyasha to lay Kagome on and she started to gather herbs and bandages. Inuyasha dug out the things he remembered Kagome using from her time. He rummaged through her bag and found clean dressings and pain killers. Kaede sent Shippo away to get some water; tears fell down his face as he obediently left with the water pale.

"Inuyasha, ye must leave. I need to undress her to get to the wounds." Kaede dipped her hands in water and waited for the hanyou to leave. Instead, he grasped the young girl's hand tightly and turned his back on her.

"I'm not going anywhere, you old hag," he said in an emotionless voice. It was devoid of the anger that was usually present whenever he insulted the old woman. She shook her head and decided that he wouldn't dare peek at a time like this. Kaede said a prayer under her breath for Kagome and got to work at dressing her wounds.

The sun was high in the sky when its blazing light finally irritated Kagome out of her fitful sleep. The fields of grain glowed yellow in the bright summer sun and a light breeze gently rocked the plants back and forth. Numbness engulfed her as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to clear her sleep-filled vision and focused on her location. _Kaede's home. _Turning her head, she found Inuyasha sitting close to her with his back against the wall. He held Tetsusaiga in his lap and his head was down. She guessed he was asleep.

It was then that she felt the tight grip on her left hand. Looking down, she saw that Inuyasha's hand was grasping her own. She blushed furiously for a moment before moving a little so as to awaken the half demon. As she thought, the moment she moved, his eyes sprang open. She saw the weariness and worry in the golden orbs that she loved so much. He didn't even try to cover up his excitement at seeing her awake.

"Kagome! How are you feeling? Are you ok?" He barraged her with questions about what hurt and if the pain killers he made her swallow earlier were working and if she was hungry or thirsty or wanted to sleep some more. Kagome laughed at his questioning and pulled herself up with his help. The sunlight hitting her delicate face and shining in her brilliant eyes was all that Inuyasha could have asked for. He didn't have to force a smile to his face this time.

"Inuyasha, I'm fine, really." She smiled as she studied his face. He lowered his ears and looked away, instantly losing the smile that she had grown to love; the smile that she had helped him achieve. Without the kindness of her heart, Inuyasha would still be a cold, heartless demon. She knew above all, he felt guilty that someone in his likeness had attacked her.

It reminded him of Kikyo. He couldn't help but think about how she had been attacked by someone she thought was him. Would Kagome hate him now? _She doesn't look like she hates me._ He stole a peek at the young girl from underneath his bangs. She was staring at him with concern and kindness filling her eyes.

The door to the hut slid to the side abruptly and the young fox child tore through the door. Kaede followed him in with a basket of fresh herbs cradled on her hip. She smiled a kind greeting and got to work cutting the herbs. Shippo immediately ran to Kagome's side.

"Kagome! I'm so glad you're awake!" Shippo didn't bound into her arms like he normally did. He chose instead to hug her non-injured arm. She patted him gently on the head before sweeping him into her arms and into a giant hug.

"Hey Shippo. I'm sorry for worrying you," she said softly to the small child. Kaede brought a ladle of water for the young priestess to drink. Kagome took it thankfully with a small smile after letting Shippo slip down onto her lap.

"Thanks, Kaede. For everything," she said solemnly as she looked down at her dressings. Kaede just smiled and returned the ladle to the bucket of water in the corner. She stroked the fire and sat beside it. Kagome could smell the stew simmering. It was in that moment that she realized the absence of Miroku and Sango. She frowned.

"Kaede, where are Miroku and Sango?" The older priestess shook her head and met Kagome's eyes directly.

"Ye have been out for a few days. Since then, we have not seen nor heard from the monk or the demon slayer." Kaede stirred the stew slowly before dispensing some into a bowl for Kagome, Shippo, and herself. Kagome nodded her thanks and stared deeply into the stew. She was consumed with worry for her friends and her mind raced to what could have happened to them.

"You mean they just disappeared?" Kagome took a small bite of the hot soup and placed it next to her on the floor to allow it to cool some more. Inuyasha didn't wait for Kaede to get a bowl for him and he helped himself to a heaping bowl of the hearty stew. He hadn't eaten since Kagome was injured; his worry prevented him from having much of an appetite.

"Aye. Not even a goodbye," Kaede said sadly while shaking her head. Inuyasha stopped shoveling food into his mouth when he realized who they were talking about.

"They probably ran off together. Don't worry the worst that would happen is Miroku getting beaten by Sango for his 'wandering hand'." Inuyasha continued to shovel food into his mouth, but Kagome wasn't convinced. She sipped a little more of her soup before adding to the conversation.

"But what if the same thing that happened to us…happened to them?" Kagome looked Inuyasha square in the eyes. A light blush painted his face when he remembered the tender moment he had with Kagome; he would never tell her about it though. A similar blush grew on her own face as she recalled her own personal memory. It was no secret how Miroku and Sango felt about one another; they could have had the same moments with one another before waking up to face their loved one in a duel to the death.

"What DID happen to ye?" Kaede questioned. The two looked away from one another and in opposite directions. Inuyasha cleared his throat before telling the story of what happened to him—minus the initial part; Kagome did the same from her point of view. Kaede nodded the entire time.

"Sounds like Naraku to me," Inuyasha said, ending the retellings. Kagome nodded her agreement. Kaede finished her bowl of soup and slowly got to her feet.

"I suggest ye find Sango and Miroku. They could be in danger." Kaede put her bowl in the wash bin and collected everyone else's. Kagome's was only half eaten as the mixture of guilt and painkillers gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Resilient to Inuyasha's protests, Kagome pulled herself to her feet. She grabbed her bow and arrow and slung them on her back.

"Let's go," she said with determination. Inuyasha pretended to be angry on the outside as he yelled at her and called her stupid, but he was really feeling a mixture of pride at how strong she was and worry at what would happen if they encountered danger with Kagome in her current condition. He was about to load her onto his back when a small mew was heard from outside the hut.

"Kirara?" Kagome threw back the door covering and scooped up the small cat. "Where have you been?" She nuzzled the small demon before setting her back on the floor. "Can you take us somewhere? We need to find Sango and Miroku." Kirara gave an agreeing meow before walking outside and changing into her full demon form. Kagome slowly climbed onto her back with Shippo clinging to her shoulder.

"Bye Kaede! Thanks for everything!" Kagome shouted as Kirara took to the sky with Inuyasha running underneath. Kaede waved goodbye to the trio before returning inside to finish the day's chores. The sun continued its decent to the horizon as the trio flew off towards the one place that Kagome could think of where Sango would be: the demon slayer's village.


End file.
